‘Bafarawa’s petition intended to mislead Senate committee’

The Sokoto State Government has said former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa’s petition to the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption on his alleged harassment was intended to politicise a legal matter.

The government alleged that the petition was also aimed at giving the former governor cheap public sympathy and mislead the committee.

It said: “Ordinarily, we would not have responded to or joined issues with the former governor as the matter is still in court. But seeing the manner Bafarawa leaked his petition to the press, we were compelled to respond.”

The government noted that it was not in the practice of the National Assembly to delve into or entertain issues that are subjects of litigation before a court, to avoid such matters becoming sub judice.

It urged the Senate to hands off the matter.

In a December 17 letter to the Senate committee, in reaction to Bafarawa’s petition, prosecuting counsel Chief Jacob Ochidi said the former governor had written an open letter, asking the EFCC to probe his activities between 1999 to 2007.

The lawyer said the request prompted the agency to investigate the former governor.

Ochidi said it was in the course of the probe the EFCC discovered several corrupt practices and embezzlement of public funds against the former governor and 18 others.

Bafarawa is on trial with 18 others before a Sokoto High Court on a 144-count charge of alleged misappropriation and embezzlement of several billions of naira.

The former governor petitioned the committee, alleging the use of EFCC machinery by the state government to harass and intimidate him.

The story was published in the Peoples Daily of December 4.

The court has refused to quash the case at the former governor’s request.

It held that there was a prima facie case against Bafarawa and the others and that their earlier appeal to the Court of Appeal was still pending.

Ochidi maintained that Bafarawa and 18 others had urged the court to quash the charges against them.

He added: “The trial on the appeal has begun with the first prosecution witness. The Attorney-General of Sokoto has testified with documents tendered through him. The court admitted the documents during the November 26 hearing.”